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Trump’s name fundraising focal point for Republicans and Dems

Fundraising messages centered around President Donald Trump have continued to dominate on both sides of the political aisle since his return to the White House.

The Democrats’ messages revolve around voicing their opposition to Trump’s second term, his executive orders, and action by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has become a cornerstone of Trump’s first month back in the Oval Office.

“Americans are starting to feel the disastrous effects of a Trump-Musk presidency, and we see that sentiment reflected in our top-performing messaging, which highlights the need to fight the extremes of Donald Trump and prepare for elections this year, in 2026 and beyond,” DNC Senior Spokesperson Hannah Muldavin told Fox News Digital.

Muldavin said the DNC’s most effective fundraising messages have centered around “the extremes of Donald Trump.”

FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SAYS HIS PARTY IS ACTING ‘PATHETICALLY’ TO THWART MUSK’S DOGE

Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump holds up a fist at a campaign rally at the Santander Arena on November 4, 2024 in Reading, Pennsylvania. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Our most effective outreach to grassroots supporters right now comes from our new Chair Ken Martin, who talks about not just fighting the extremes of Donald Trump, but also on making the case to working families in both red and blue states that Democrats are the party fighting for them,” Muldavin added.

The Democratic National Committee’s website opened this week to a photo of Ken Martin, newly elected DNC Chair, with a simple message: “Ken Martin is the new DNC Chair. Help Democrats mobilize against Trump.” A fundraising message on the donation page invites Democrats to “pitch in to the DNC and help elect Democrats nationwide.”

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Newly elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin speaks after winning the vote at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

“The DNC is the organization best positioned to fight back, organize, and stop the worst impulses of a Trump administration. So please don’t wait: donate now to elect Democrats who will fight back against the MAGA agenda,” the message says.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has a similar strategy with a down-ballot focus. On the DCCC website, a photo of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appears next to a fundraising message inviting supporters to “become a majority maker.”

“At the DCCC, we’re laser-focused on the midterms and taking back the House from the MAGA Majority,” the message says. “With just THREE seats standing between us and the Majority, your monthly donation will help us do everything we can to flip the House blue and build a firewall against the Trump Trifecta. Will you make a recurring monthly donation to the DCCC to fuel our work today?”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., conducts his weekly news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on Thursday, May 23, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Trump’s fundraising apparatus has also capitalized on his return to center stage. Trump National Committee, the joint super PAC of Never Surrender and the Republican National Committee, have maintained consistent fundraising outreach since Trump’s election victory.

“Trump is the center of the universe at the moment,” Republican strategist Matt Gorman, who worked on Senator Tim Scott’s presidential campaign and as communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Fox News Digital. “It’s been pretty well proven over the last decade that Trump animates the fundraising base of both parties and utilizing him is an effective strategy.”

As soon as Nov. 6, just a day after the election, a message “from Trump” to his supporters read, “TOTAL VICTORY! Because of you, WE WON!” with a link to donate to Trump’s super PAC. The messages continued in the weeks and months leading up to his inauguration.

The tone of the messages took a turn after Democrat Rep. Al Green, D-T.X., who attempted to impeach Trump three times during his first term, announced that he would file articles of impeachment against the president for saying he would “take over” Gaza.

U.S. President Donald Trump, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L), speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on February 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Green said on the House floor the next day that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “should be ashamed, knowing the history of his people, to stand there and allow such things to be said.”

“Before Democrats introduce Articles of Impeachment, can you answer question #1?” a fundraising message from Trump’s super PAC asked the next day.

Then last week, the PAC sent a message from Vice President JD Vance that read, “Don’t pee on my boots & tell me it’s raining. It’s JD Vance. These are the top lies I’ve seen from Democrats.”

“Democrats don’t have any policies. All they have is lies. Nobody believes their crap. So on behalf of every American who is sick of their lies, I got one thing to say: Don’t pee on my boots & tell me it’s raining. Democrats can’t stand that we have a President who’s putting the working men & women of America first, AND NOW THEY’RE THREATENING TO IMPEACH TRUMP AGAIN!”

Senator JD Vance points toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean, File)

The message from Republicans is clear: Democrats do not have policies beyond resisting Trump.

“Their identity for the last ten years has been, simply, ‘Whatever Trump is for, I’m against,’” Gorman said.

While using Trump’s name can be an effective fundraising strategy, Gorman urged candidates to move past the moniker and step into policy discussions as well.

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“Policy is really important, too. Every candidate has to articulate what they stand for, how they’d be different from their opponent and what they bring to Washington or to the statehouse. Trump is helpful in every aspect, but it’s important to make sure you’re defining what you would do in your policies as well.”

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 15, 2025
Poll finds Trump has highest approval rating now than any point in 1st term

President Donald Trump has the highest approval rating now compared to any point during his first term in office, according to a new poll.

Forty-seven percent of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance in the less than a month since he was sworn in as the 47th president, the latest national survey by the Pew Research Center found.

While that’s higher than at any point while he served as the 45th president, Trump’s inaugural approval rating sinks below that of most other presidents since Ronald Reagan. George W. Bush’s approval rating early in his second term, however, was about the same as that of Trump now.

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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The poll, conducted Jan. 27 to Feb. 2 among 5,086 adults, found nearly three in ten adults, or 28%, view Trump’s actions as better than expected, while 36% said they have been what they expected.

His actions are viewed as worse than expected by 35% of adults.

Americans are fairly evenly split over how they believe Trump’s White House will affect the federal government. The survey found 41% of adults said they believe Trump’s administration will improve the way the federal government works, and 42% said they believe the state of the federal government will worsen with him in office.

President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump stand for the National Anthem during the Super Bowl LIX Pregame at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation)

Public opinion on Trump’s agenda remains starkly divided along partisan lines. The poll found 67% of Republicans, including those who lean red, support all or most of Trump’s plans and policies. For Democrats and those who lean blue, 84% support few or none. Almost an identical share of Republicans, 76%, said Trump will improve the way the federal government operates, as Democrats, 78%, said Trump will make the federal government run worse.

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For Republicans, 53% viewed Trump’s recent actions as better than expected, while the poll found 60% of Democrats view the president’s accomplishments as worse than expected.

As Trump enters his fourth week back in office, his efforts to slash wasteful federal government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have caused a stir in Washington.

President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

His threat of tariffs against Canada and Mexico and levied against China over the flow of deadly fentanyl across American borders has similarly raised concerns. Trump’s angling for the Panama Canal and Greenland amid the increasing Chinese presence in the Western Hemisphere, as well as his administration overseeing a collapsing ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in the Middle East have put the world on notice.

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Trump’s advisers are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week in Munich as the war with Russia stretches into its third year. Raging wildfires in California, a deadly military helicopter-passenger jet collision in D.C., and the continuing aftermath of last year’s hurricane devastation in the southeast, particularly in North Carolina, are putting Trump’s new Cabinet chiefs to the test on the domestic front, as is Trump’s crackdown on criminal illegal immigration.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

February 11, 2025
West Point disbands gender-based, race clubs in Trump’s DEI sweep

West Point has disbanded a number of identity-based clubs at the military academy to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders and new Pentagon guidance, Fox News has confirmed.

Some of the clubs no longer sanctioned by the university include the Asian-Pacific Forum, the Korean-American relations seminar, the Latin Cultural Club, the National Society of Black Engineers Club and the Society of Women Engineers Club.

The U.S. Military Academy communications office said the clubs had been dissolved because they were affiliated with the DEI office.

“In accordance with recent guidance, the U.S. Military Academy is reviewing programs and activities affiliated with our former office of diversity, equity and inclusion,” the office told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The clubs disbanded yesterday were sponsored by that office.”

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West Point has disbanded a number of identity-based clubs at the university to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders and new Pentagon guidance. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Trump has instituted sweeping policies to eradicate DEI across the federal government since taking office.

A dozen clubs were disbanded, according to the memo, while other clubs have had their activities paused until the directorate of cadet activities can review and revalidate their status.

WEST POINT MILITARY ACADEMY DROPS ‘DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY’ FROM MISSION STATEMENT

Some of the clubs no longer sanctioned by the university include the Asian-Pacific Forum, the Korean-American relations seminar and the Latin Cultural Club. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

“More than one hundred clubs remain at the U.S. Military Academy, and our leadership will continue to provide opportunities for cadets to pursue their academic, military, and physical fitness interests while following Army policy, directives, and guidance.”

The memo, circulated around the university and verified by Fox News Digital, says such clubs are no longer permitted to “use government time, resources or facilities.”

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Last year, the Supreme Court eliminated race- and gender-based admissions policies at universities but left a carve-out for military institutions like West Point. It later rejected a challenge to the exceptions for military academies, allowing their affirmative action programs to move forward.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote late last month in a memo that DEI practices are “incompatible” with the values of DOD and instructed the Pentagon to stop celebrating “identity” months like Black History Month and Pride Month.

February 5, 2025
Hawks’ Trae Young reacts to NBA All-Star selection snub: ‘It’s getting “Traed” at this point’

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has arguably put together the most productive first half of an NBA season in his career.

But Young’s NBA-leading 11.4 assists per game were not enough to land the 26-year-old guard an All-Star nod.

Last week, the NBA revealed the starters for its revamped annual showcase of its 24 star players. While the list of starters did not feature a lot of surprises, the reserves raised some eyebrows.

Young’s name was noticeably missing when the 2025 NBA All-Star Game reserves were revealed Thursday.

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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reacts after a foul was called during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics April 23, 2023, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The omission sparked some spirited posts on social media about Young and other players who received a cold shoulder from voters. Young summed up his circumstances by putting a unique twist on his name.

“It’s getting ‘Traed’ at this point,” the former Oklahoma basketball standout wrote on X. He then offered an apology to his fans and took a more measured approach, saying, “Sorry to my fans.. it’ll change eventually! All right, talk soon!”

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Young has been an All-Star three times before, but his numbers do seem to back up the argument that he is one of this year’s top 24 players. Aside from his assist average, Young is averaging 22.5 points per game.

NBA coaches pick the All-Star reserves. Hawks coach Quin Snyder made it clear he believes the players who made the All-Star roster are deserving.

Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks after Game 5 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics April 25, 2023, at the TD Garden in Boston. (Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

“That also doesn’t preclude me from feeling the way I do about Trae,” Snyder said. “I haven’t coached him for that long, but I feel like he’s had the best year of his career. … No disrespect to anyone that has made it, but as Trae’s coach, I am allowed to feel disappointment for him not making it. And that’s unfortunate.”

Young hasn’t been voted into the game since 2022. He was an injury replacement selected by Commissioner Adam Silver for last year’s All-Star Game.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time All-Star, is another notable player who did not receive an All-Star selection.

Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns during Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets May 5, 2023, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz. (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

“Obviously, something that I wanted to be a part of,” Booker said Friday. “But definitely not going to complain about taking a week to regroup with the family.”

Fan voting accounts for 50% of the formula for deciding which players start the game, and the Hornets’ LaMelo Ball was the backcourt player who got the most votes from fans in the Eastern Conference by a wide margin.

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However, he narrowly missed being a starter after finishing third in the East backcourt voting by players and seventh in the media balloting. Ball then missed out on being a reserve because he didn’t get listed on enough coaches’ ballots.

Ball ranks fourth in the league with 28.2 points per game. He is the first player under the current voting format to win the fan vote at his position but not get picked for the All-Star Game.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

February 1, 2025
NBA legend Dwyane Wade opens up about kidney surgery, cancer diagnosis: ‘Weakest point I’ve ever felt’

During the latest episode of his podcast, three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade revealed some details about a health scare he faced more than a year ago.

Wade underwent surgery in December 2023 that removed 40% of a kidney. The surgery was followed by what Wade described as a “shocking” cancer diagnosis.

A full body scan confirmed the presence of a “cyst/tumor” on one of Wade’s kidneys.

“And the doctor was like, ‘You need to have kidney surgery,’” the 43-year-old retired basketball star noted on Thursday’s edition of “The Why with Dwyane Wade” podcast.

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Dwyane Wade at a men’s basketball quarterfinal game between France and Canada during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. (Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports)

Wade admitted he largely avoided seeing a doctor over the years for a physical, but he eventually made an appointment once he began experiencing stomach issues, cramps and trouble urinating.

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“On the process of checking, like, ‘Why is my [urine] coming out slow, why is my stream ain’t powerful? Why is it a little weak?’ ” Wade recalled. After removing a considerable portion of his left kidney, doctors concluded the tumor was cancerous, Wade said.

Wade said the health scare left him weakened.

Miami Heat great Dwyane Wade at Kaseya Center. (Jasen Vinlove/USA Today Sports)

“I think it was the first time my family, my dad, my kids, they saw me weak,” he said. “That moment was probably the weakest point I’ve ever felt in my life. … I was struggling, dog. Struggling.

“And one thing you never want to do as a man is you never want your family to see you as weak. You don’t want to be perceived weak, and you don’t want to be seen in your weak moments. But I had to.”

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Super Bowl LIX will be streamed on Tubi. (Tubi)

Wade’s father, Dwyane Wade Sr., also had a battle with prostate cancer. The former Miami Heat star said experiencing the health scare helped him realize the importance of family.

“What I saw in the midst of me going through my illness, I saw my family that may not always talk, may not always agree. I saw everybody show up for me and be there for me and in that process, in my weakness, I found strength in my family.”

Wade did not reveal details about his current health.

Wade retired from the NBA after the 2018-19 season. He is the Heat’s all-time leader in points, assists and steals. He was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2006.

He bought an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz in 2021. Wade also joined the Chicago Sky ownership group in 2023 when he became one of the WNBA franchise’s minority investors.

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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 31, 2025
Trump’s first presidential trip shows his ‘man of the people’ cred after Ohio ‘turning point,’ WH spox says

In her first White House press conference from the James Brady Briefing Room at the White House, Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump’s first presidential trip showed why he is a “man of the people” president.

Leavitt suggested Trump’s visit to Hurricane Helene-ravaged parts of the Great Smoky Mountains and wildfire-torched areas of southern California were a predictable start to a second presidency that was, in part, inspired by a previous trip to visit “forgotten” Americans dealing with tragedy.

“President Trump still talks about his visit to East Palestine, Ohio. That was one of the turning points, I would say, in the previous election campaign where Americans were reminded that President Trump is a man of the people and he, as a candidate, visited that town that was just derailed by the train derailment, no pun intended,” Leavitt said.

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President Donald Trump and Asheville, North Carolina (Reuters/Marco Bello | AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump visited Columbiana County, Ohio, in the wake of the 2023 caustic crisis, and handed out Trump Water and other supplies, while meeting with residents and local leaders.

“He offered support and hope, just like I saw the president do this past week [in North Carolina and California]. It was a purposeful decision by this president on his first domestic trip to go to North Carolina and to California to visit with Americans who were impacted by Hurricane Helene and also by the deadly fires…” Leavitt added.

“[A] red state and a blue state.”

Leavitt said Californians and North Carolinians in the affected areas feel forgotten by the Biden administration, adding Trump will continue to “put Americans first,” whether they voted for him or not.

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The September hurricane caused widespread destruction from Augusta, Georgia, to Damascus, Virginia – notably swelling the banks of the Savannah, Toccoa and Pigeon rivers and wiping out whole communities like Chimney Rock, North Carolina.

A piece of Interstate 40 collapsed into the Pigeon River in Haywood County, North Carolina, and a portion of the crucial U.S. Route 58 artery near Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, remains shut down several months later due to the damage incurred.

Actor Mel Gibson recently gave Fox News Channel a tour of what little remained of his home in Pacific Palisades, California, following this month’s wildfires – as innumerable other houses were reduced to their foundations.

“Everyone is putting on a brave face,” the “Patriot” star said.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

January 28, 2025
ESPN analyst reveals how ex-colleague’s Obama comments became point of contention

Sage Steele, in a lawsuit against her former employer, ESPN, accused analyst Ryan Clark of refusing to work with her due to opposing political views.

Clark admitted recently on “The Michele Tafoya Show” that part of the accusation wasn’t false, but he felt the need to clear the air.

Tafoya asked Clark about the lawsuit, which alleged Clark refused to work with Steele after she made controversial comments on former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s podcast in 2021.

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ESPN analyst Ryan Clark broadcasts from the field before a game between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium Sept. 9, 2024, in Santa Clara, Calif. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

On the podcast, Steele reflected on an appearance on “The View,” in which she said Barbara Walters “ripped me” for saying it was “important” to label herself as biracial.

Steele said Walters then brought up that former President Barack Obama, who is biracial, chose “Black” when filling out paperwork for a census.

“I’m like, well, congratulations to the president. That’s his thing. I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found, but his white mom and grandma raised him. But hey, you do you. I’m going to do me,” Steele said on Cutler’s podcast.

Clark said he disagreed with Steele on many political topics, including her vaccination stance and Colin Kaepernick’s protests, but he had “no issue” with her being a conservative.

“Sage Steele being a conservative was, like, the worst-kept secret at ESPN,” the former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back quipped.

However, her comments on Obama were the “only” thing that “offended” him and prompted him to speak with a producer at ESPN about hosting a segment together.

Sage Steele takes the stage during a Donald Trump campaign rally at Lancaster Airport Nov. 3, 2024, in Lititz, Pa. (Getty Images)

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“As a Black man who understands that no matter what President Obama decides to check off as his race, he’s going to be seen as an entire country as a Black man. He’s going to be viewed if policemen say, ‘The suspect is a Black, tall, slender, light-skinned man,’ President Obama would fit that description,” Clark said.

“He’s also a man that was married to a Black woman. He was also a man that was raising two young Black daughters. And I felt that was disrespectful to say, ‘Why would someone with that blood running through their veins want to represent that culture?’”

Clark admitted he told a producer he wanted another host, Matt Barrie, to “conduct my segment.”

“Because what I know is this … chemistry is a large part of TV. It’s a large part of our ability to be able to entertain. And I didn’t want my discomfort with what she said to show on screen,” Clark said.

Clark said it was a one-time thing with Steele, and they were able to “work … in a very cordial way” until she left ESPN. He added they no longer speak, “but I obviously wish her all the best in all her endeavors.”

ESPN’s Ryan Clark chats with colleagues on air before a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars Dec. 4, 2023, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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“She now has found a place where, entertainment-wise, she feels like she fits, she feels like she has a voice and she has a passion. And I feel like we all should be entitled to that, whether you agree or disagree.”

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January 23, 2025